Ford... What is your problem? GT500 owners, you need to read these quality control issues...

[Tomster]

Wow sorry to hear abut all these issues. At the end of the day sure its a mustang, but it is the halo model and these types of issues shouldn't be happening.

That being said, $700 for hood pins? They are units made by Quik Latch and can be bought from them for $135-$300. They have 2 different sizes and I'm not sure which ones fit the GT500. Unless Ford paid them to make a special size just for them.

No, this design is proprietary to the Ford design. The latches are not the same.

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[BigBeed]

No, this design is proprietary to the Ford design. The latches are not the same.

Ahh figures they would make special units.

 

[Tomster]

Ahh figures they would make special units.

I dont blame quik latch, it is a design spec of Ford. The guy who owns quik latch is a real nice guy and an enthusiast. Blame Ford for the design change and price gouging.

 

[BigBeed]

I dont blame quik latch, it is a design spec of Ford. The guy who owns quik latch is a real nice guy and an enthusiast. Blame Ford for the design change and price gouging.

Oh yeah 100% on Ford

 

[kilobravo]

Technically speaking, the 351W was a child of the late sixties.

Quite so, Tob and even being a MOPAR type back then, I was certainly familiar with the "Fix Or Repair Daily" folks and their motors. <grin> We always thought, (who knows why) that the Cleveland heads were superior but we didn't know squat, really. :-) Maybe because we were only a few miles from Cleveland. <chuckling>

But the photo of the beautiful motor brought back some seriously good memories...thanks for the nostalgia. :-)

 

[Alain]

Wow, good luck Tom.

I'm happy to hear that you have the time and knowledge to address these issues yourself. I would not trust a dealership to fix these things for me, even if I had a good relationship with them.

People just don't care nor do they take pride in anything they do.

good luck man.

 

[marklboris]

I started this thread back in April ( #1 ) and while the issues are nothing like what Tom and some others have had, everything is going very well with my car and I really do enjoy it. No one touches my car even if the brake pedal and rear camera need to be replaced. I chalk up all the issues I had from being rushed when assembled.

 

[Tomster]

I started this thread back in April ( #1 ) and while the issues are nothing like what Tom and some others have had, everything is going very well with my car and I really do enjoy it. No one touches my car even if the brake pedal and rear camera need to be replaced. I chalk up all the issues I had from being rushed when assembled.

I agree. For that reason, I took the whole front end off my car to access the harness that was up against my radiator. The photos are on my phone, so I will edit later. I started around 1 and finished about 6:30 pm. The work is summarized as jacking the car, removing the front wheels, removing the wheel well liners, taking the wickers off, then the splitter, the belly pan, the cold air intake, and the front bumper fascia. Had I known about this before I put the splitter on, it would have gone a lot quicker. While I had it all off, I did a little housekeeping and cleaned up all the junk from when it sat on a lot for 2 months in the Flat Rock Penitentiary.

I hope I don't get Covid-19. I dread the thought of needing a respirator and then they wheel one in with the big blue oval on it. I will say it again, there is no reason for this kind of poor quality. The three issues I cited are serious enough that down the road, they would have been problems. I haven't even gotten into the petty crap.

I have one item to check over. That is the exhaust valve harness. Epiphany said his was way to tight. The way my build is, I would have to say mine is probably worse and in need of attention.

Photos in a bit....

 

[Epiphany]

Quite so, Tob and even being a MOPAR type back then, I was certainly familiar with the "Fix Or Repair Daily" folks and their motors. <grin> We always thought, (who knows why) that the Cleveland heads were superior but we didn't know squat, really.

Back in the early 70's the 4v Cleveland heads were all the rage, ports/valves were huge. Looking back, they were too big and lazy. When the Mustang started to take off again in the early 80's the Cleveland fell out of favor and was replaced with blown 302's, 351 Windsors, and a plethora of dropped in 429/460's. Bottom line was now about weight and we finally saw aluminum Windsor heads and a more efficient port and chamber. Ford then got their modular shit together and now all that 60's iron is being forgotten, sadly. That said, my small block engine sounds better to me than any of the modulars but for damn sure can't compete with the power. Oh well.

 

[Tomster]

So here are the photos.....

Once I got everything apart, I found another lack of attention to detail... The harness is supposed to be pushed into the support. Not a big deal, just a lack of attention to detail.

So here it is, the front end off the car. Not a big deal in terms of complexity, but it is a time consuming process. See description above for the process.

This is how the harness was routed. Right up against a substantial heat source with no reguard for the correct routing. This routing caused two problems.... First the harness was subjected to more heat than it was supposed to be. Second, the cold air intake was obstructed and the two ducts could not connect properly. When it was assembled, they just pushed harder until it finally fit in there.

Another issue with this ad hock wiring is that the harness no longer had support and was free to chaff against other components.

A comparison of how it was run vs how it should have been run.

The wiring harness in the correct position!! I took my time to clean up the gunk and grime from it sitting so long out in the elements.

Stay safe out there, and take a few moments to go over your brand new car and make sure everything is where it is supposed to be.,

 

[Epiphany]

Good stuff Tom.

Ford, get your shit together.

In your last photo, the "tie" you slip over the bolt that you looked to have backed up with a white zip tie...mine isn't in place either and is just floating in space. No biggie but added to the list.

 

[Tomster]

Good stuff Tom.

Ford, get your shit together.

In your last photo, the "tie" you slip over the bolt that you looked to have backed up with a white zip tie...mine isn't in place either and is just floating in space. No biggie but added to the list.

Yes, I troubled over that one..... the tie-down on the stud was not a solid connection. Another defective design i guess.. In other words, I could readily lift it back off after i put it on. I thought about using a tie wrap around the whole harness, but then I would be creating another chaffing hazzard. Instead, I had an epiphany (lol). I took a tie wrap and used it around the tie down to create more friction with the stud. This kept the harness secure as well as provided a chaff free support. I certainly do not want to rip the car apart again because the harness came loose.

 

[DrumReaper]

And, y’all thought $100k was a lot to spend on poor QC............... makes me sad to have this poor quality in my hometown.

 

[16Kobra]

Back in the early 70's the 4v Cleveland heads were all the rage, ports/valves were huge. Looking back, they were too big and lazy. When the Mustang started to take off again in the early 80's the Cleveland fell out of favor and was replaced with blown 302's, 351 Windsors, and a plethora of dropped in 429/460's. Bottom line was now about weight and we finally saw aluminum Windsor heads and a more efficient port and chamber. Ford then got their modular shit together and now all that 60's iron is being forgotten, sadly. That said, my small block engine sounds better to me than any of the modulars but for damn sure can't compete with the power. Oh well.

I love my 351W in my Bronco.

It has a sound all its own. My last engine building (about 8 yrs ago) went with a 0.60 over cylinders, 289 closed chamber heads and other go fast parts.

Love driving that Bronco.

 

[kilobravo]

No question about the sound of those engines, Jim and I bet your Bronco is a blast.

And Tob,

Thanks for the background. Seems we did know what we were talking about even if we didn't. :-)

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